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One of the major reasons why America has drawn the awe and admiration of all over the years is its sporting dominance. Talent is spotted at an early stage and sportspersons are encouraged to pursue excellence right from school. They have set the bar very high and the US sees its sportspersons set and break world records with amazing consistency. What could be a better arena to prove sporting mettle than the Olympics? The US boasts of an Olympic record no other nation has been able to match. We have handpicked the three greatest American Olympic moments that have been etched in history forever.
Jesse Owens and the 1936 Berlin Games
Jesse Owens made the 1936 games his own. He went on to set an Olympic record in the 200m dash.
He also shattered the world record as a member of the 4 x 100m relay team.
He bagged the gold medal in the 100m and won the long jump event as well. After winning the long jump event, Jesse and Luz Long embraced each other creating history while challenging the existing social and political barriers.
Owens’ success was greatly resented by Hitler as it flew in the face of his claim of Aryan supremacy. It was a victory of the oppressed against all odds, a moment of great inspiration.
Bob Beamon’s Amazing Win at the 1968 Mexico City Games
Bob Beamon was dominating the long jump event at all competitions before the 1968 games.
That made him the favorite at the Mexico City games.
Yet, he still left the world stunned with his win after putting up a sterling performance.
Beamon leaped and how! By jumping 29 feet and 2 ½ inches, he bagged the gold medal for the US team shattering the world record by almost two feet.
Bob’s record remained unbroken for more than two decades until Mike Powell’s jump in 1991.
The Dream Team’s Domination in Barcelona 1992
This truly was a “dream team” with three of the all-time greats of the NBA Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird being its members.
The team won every match at the games handsomely beating every team by an average of 44 points.
It beat Croatia 117-85 in the final to clinch the gold medal. The team had put up in a luxury hotel that was guarded by armed men as people, including members from opponent teams flocked the hotel for autographs.
Chuck Daly, the head coach had compared the hysteria around the team to Elvis and the Beatles put together.
Conclusion
The United States has always had a great sporting culture. Their sporting infrastructure is top of notch, a major contributor to their stunning sporting excellence. The standard is truly very high which spurs American sportspersons to continue achieving success. There is no sport where Americans haven’t excelled. Sportspersons from the United States have set the track and field on fire at the Olympics as we have seen history being made on many occasions. America’s Olympians have always been an inspiration for people around the world. They have given us some magical sporting moments and we hope that we get to see many more of them in the games that lie ahead.
